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Tigers are at what scientists call a "tipping point".The point at which they can go either way in the wild.

Survival or extinction.

In India alone - the last great refuge for tigers - there are only around 1,400 left.In 2009, 100 of them were killed (that we know of).In the first few weeks of this year, 3 more were lost.This, the most iconic species on our planet. The one ingrained in religions, in songs and in deeds. Ground down into potions. Skins hung on living room walls or put under our feet. Yes. There are so many things in our world that need fixing. So much that needs attention. Yet so little is needed, comparatively, to save this, the world's most popular animal.

When you remove one element from a fragile ecosystem, it has far reaching and long lasting effects on biodiversity. This impacts on local communities, habitats and other species which share the tiger's home.

The tiger is at the top of the food chain in all the ecosystems it lives in. As such, it keeps populations of deer, wildbore, sambar and gaur in check. Without the tiger to control them these prey species would expand.

This excessive population would then totally ravage its food source - vegetation. If the vegetation in the jungles was devastated, smaller animals and insects would not survive there.

If the insects moved to the crops in farmlands vital food sources could be lost, impacting on human populations.

If plants can no longer grow in the jungle the soil will become infertile and eventually the jungle - and all that depend on it - will fade away.

The big cat is revered, admired and feared in equal parts, by millions of people around the world. If forests are emptied of every last tiger, all that will remain are distant legends, zoo sightings, and one massive breach of trust.